It took me two and a half years to lose 30 pounds and get to goal the first time around. I know I took a few deliberate stops during that time where I either ate at maintenance or simply didn't track and hoped for the best, but if I'm being honest the majority of those breaks weren't really planned/scheduled. I'm doing things differently this time because I'm a little wiser from that experience. I hit things hard for sixteen weeks at the beginning of the year. By that I mean I was weighing/measuring/tracking my food and being very mindful of my choices and satiety signals and cooking most of my own meals versus opting for takeout. I recognized I needed a break at week 16. I'd been in a non-weight loss medical study for eight weeks that restricted carbs, and some family issues meant I needed to be out of town even more than normal, so I decided to give myself two weeks of just eating mindfully. That turned into two months. Fortunately, I haven't gained weight.

I needed that rest. Maybe not two months but likely more than the two weeks I initially thought. I knew I needed to rest because I was mentally exhausted from constantly thinking about food macros (because of the study.) I've said it many times before, but for me, weight loss is all about how many "mental points" I use. Too many and I resent it and get exhausted/give up. Too few and I get sloppy. This little break has served its purpose of refreshing me. I'm ready to lose again and plan to re-evaluate in four weeks to see how my full my tank is for weight loss. If I'm not on empty, I'll go another four weeks.

Bonus Question: I spend a lot of time driving. I used to ALWAYS make stops only out of necessity. A couple of years ago, I started taking more breaks (cancer treatment forced the issue,) and I've kept it up when I'm not on a tight schedule. I've been pleasantly surprised at the difference a few breaks can make in how I feel/what I'm able to accomplish even 48 hours later. Who knew.